Thread: Screwdriver bit recommendations

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

I’ve never heard of soap attracting moisture; if anything it tends to get drier as it ages but in any case you are only talking about a very thin film trapped in the screw threads and buried in hardwood. Soap is an alkali and many screws are zinc plated so maybe if the wood got really wet for a long time then possibly there could be a reaction but I wouldn’t expect anything more than mild discolouration. Be interested though to hear if anyone has experienced corrosion from a soaped-up screw.

According to Dr Google, Soap contains glycerin which is hygroscopic, meaning they actually will draw moisture. This can prematurely rust screws and cause staining in some woods. I feel that dryer areas like western Australia, south Australia wouldn't have much moisture to start off with, but perhaps we should stick to one of the ingredients that soap are made of - oil.

If we roll up old rags very tightly and fit them into a used can as described by Paul sellers and feed the rags oil (i personally prefer liquid paraffin), it would be a pretty good screw lubricant applicator.

Does any one still just use “spit” or is that politicly incorrect these days,

Tho yes, you would have quite a dry mouth if your doing say a deck.

Cheers Matt.

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Does any one still just use “spit” or is that politicly incorrect these days,

Tho yes, you would have quite a dry mouth if your doing say a deck.

Cheers Matt.

back in the day you used to wipe a nail under your armpit ( or cheeks of your bum ) before driving it into hardwood
With screws I kept a bit of wax or soap in my nail bag or you can use your lumber crayon

The bridge and wharf carpenters had a little tin of engine oil they would dip the nail tip in before driving it in

Originally Posted by twosheds

...... Seems the quality of the Zenith wood screws is somewhat better than what most people expect, myself included......

Me too; the only Zenith screws that I have used had detachable heads!

Snot a dick. Is me floor, innit?

(BTW, for those of you following the parallel clamps thread, the black clamps in the pic are Aldav's type. The big red thing is the McJing.)

I made a swap over to Bosch bits, I believe it was thanks to a thread on Toolguyd which helped me. Have been extremely happy with them, they're holding up better than the other ones I've used in my impact and cordless screwdriver, cam out doesn't affect the tip as much as some of the others. I'm not even half way through the pack of 15 50mm bits I got a year ago, including ones that have gone walking, whereas usually I'd be ten down on any of the other brands.

I keep a tin of paste wax on hand for screws. It only required a tiny dot on the threads.

In the USA - I do not recall seeing this in Oz - many use a wax sealing ring for the toilet ... probably because these are so cheap there. Anyway, wax is good, but it must be used sparingly to avoid affecting any finish.

Regards from Berlin

Derek

Quick follow up to this lengthy discussion of a simple problem for anyone managing to plough through the whole thread. (I once did an advanced driving course in the UK. The hot topic amongst instructors was whether you could be judged to have come to a full stop if you didn't apply the handbrake. It was handbags at dawn, I tell ya! I feel we haven't got quite that bad...)

I bought:
A box of five Wera WER057656from a bunch called TopRatedTools on fleabay. Came from the uk. Worked out to $8/bit incl post:
Wera ph2 impaktor.png

From Amazon Au:
A box of Wera 05057752001 - shorter ph2 bits. Cost $75 at the time - they're now $40 with free prime delivery:
Wera ph2 impaktor 15.jpg

Wera 05057690001 - 30 bit set, including an impact bit holder. This was $100 at the time, now $75 with free delivery (FML).

Wera impakt bit set.jpg
I also go a set of DeWalt bits from Amazon (they were immediately available, and first to arrive). Around $40 then and now.

DeWalt impact 40 piece.jpg

Lotta bits! But at the rate I was going through them, I didn't expect them to last long.

I've done around 40sq m of flooring since, and lots of impact driving into concrete, stupid 70's pebble dash carport floor (needs the SDS to drill - too hard for an ordinary hammer drill to get into), and yesterday, some 125mm batten screws into ancient hardwood joists to put up garage shelving. I've yet to break or damage a Wera bit. Driving into the joists, the impact driver was giving up before the bit or batten screw did.

The DeWalts have hardly got a look in, so I can't comment on longevity. The kit does have some useful holders, and some of the torx bits are slightly longer than usual, so they've come in handy for awkward reach screws - like the Festool Domino that I needed to sort out a dodgy switch on.

So, buy Wera. They're fantastic. Use them with their impact bit holder.

A bit of an aside but I think relevant to the topic. I keep all my hex bits on a plastic grid from LV and finally got sick of having to check if the bit I picked up was Pz or Ph so I put some different coloured heat shrink on each type.

Which Impact Driver Bit is Best? Let's find out! Phillips #2 Showdown - YouTube

and the winner is .......

Milwaukee